In Your Eyes, There is No Demon
by Sinclair San Tonava
Summary: Hinata is just 5 years old when she meets a demon boy on the streets. She feeds him, and thier friendship is cemented, but the Boy is hated, and their friendship is secret. Hinata finds the boy's gift. Can she use it to help him? DISCONTINUED
1. Prolouge

"See you tomorrow, Shakia-Kun!" Hinata called as she left the academy.

Shakia Uchiha, Hinata's eight-year-old friend, waved good-bye as he caught up with his younger cousin Sasuke.

Hinata watched them leave before hearing a familiar voice somewhere behind her.

"Hinata-Chan! Come on, it's time to go!"

It was her cousin Neji, who was a year older than her. He had turned six a year ago and, and since then it had been his job to escort Hinata home every day.

Hinata turned around and ran to Neji's side, and they began to walk toward home, the Hyuuga compound, all the while talking about their day. They were close, and Hinata liked walking home with her cousin more than she did walking home with her father, who was quiet and serious all the time.

As they left the block of the school and headed into the darker blocks, Hinata started to get uncomfortable. She had never liked this block; it seemed so dark and mysterious, with so many dark allies and stray animals. She looked up at Neji, who was a great bit taller than her, she now realized. He seemed happily content, as if nothing here fazed him. She envied his calmness and how he always seemed to carry himself proudly, even though he was a branch member.

There was a loud crash and a hiss and a scrawny cat streaked in front of the Hyuugas' path. Hinata let out a squeak of fear and ducked behind Neji. Neji stopped and took a step back, and did not move until the cat's screech faded. Then they both continued down the remaining block at a faster pace.

As the Hyuuga compound came into view they finally slowed down. They were both slightly disturbed by the walk home, and as they walked into their house they were panting slightly.

"Welcome home, you two."

Hinata cocked her head toward her mother's voice. She sat on the couch, feeding Hinata's baby sister Hanabi a bottle.

Hinata's anxiety faded and a smile spread across her face. She took off her shoes, set her schoolbag down on a hook, and skipped over to the couch and took a seat next to her mother. "Can I hold the baby?" she asked happily, leaning over her mother's shoulder to peer at the little bundle in the blanket.

Her mother smiled and gently handed Hinata the baby. "Put your arm under her head," she reminded her older daughter.

Hinata smiled down at her baby sister. Hanabi cooed and blinked, her pearly Hyuuga eyes bright and responsive. After another minute Hinata's mother lifted the baby from her arms and walked into Hinata's room, where all of Hanabi's things were temporarily being held.

Suddenly bored, she went to look for Neji. She heard his music playing in his room and threw the door open. "Neji-Kun, would you play with me?" she said loudly over the music.

Neji lay on his bed reading a book. As he looked up, Hinata couldn't resist a giggle. Neji was wearing his reading glasses instead of the contacts that he wore in school, and the glasses made his eyes look huge. He blinked at her and then took off his glasses and turned off the music, then sat up on his bed. "I don't want to play," he said flatly. "But… do you want me to read to you?"

Hinata nodded excitedly. She was lucky to have such a smart cousin who had learned how to read at such a young age. She ran into the room and jumped on Neji's bed. Neji picked up his book and flipped back to first the page in it and put on his reading glasses again. "Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Suess." As Neji turned the page and began started to read, Hinata looked at the pictures from over his shoulder.

Soon she had fallen asleep on the bed, hugging Neji's pillow. Neji called for someone to bring her to her own room, and when she was gone he, too, got ready for bed and went to sleep, feeling a little dizzy, he now realized.


	2. You don't look like a demon to me

Hinata got dressed and sat down for breakfast that morning as she usually did, but noticed that Neji was nowhere in sight. She looked around. Her dad passed by and the looked at him. "Father, where is Neji-kun?" she asked.

Her dad looked at her seriously, like her usually did. "Neji is sick, Hinata. He got the flu."

Hinata blinked, confused.

He sighed. "It means that he won't be going to school for a few days," he said.

Hinata looked at him, still confused. "But… who's gonna take me to school and walk me home?" she asked.

Her father looked up at her mother, who sighed and then went back to cooking. "Well… you're a big girl now… we're going to let you walk yourself home all by yourself."

Hinata's eyes got wide. "R-really!?"

Her father put his hand on her head, and smiled and nodded.

Her mother came and put her breakfast in front of her: an egg and two pieces of toast, and she ate it slower than usual.

When she was done her mother gave her a kiss and handed her backpack to her as she put her shoes on, and watched her as she went out the door, until she disappeared from sight.

She walked down the dark allies quickly, constantly whipping her head back and forth to see if anything was coming up on her. It was quiet… much different than it was at night… this had always been a pleasant walk with Neji around… now it was just scary.

She heard a little clatter. She gasped and turned toward the noise. There was an ally, illuminated with light slightly, but not enough to see anything. She stopped and stared for a moment. Suddenly a figure lurked out of the shadows, halfway into the light. A huge pair of ears stood out in the shadows, and the figure moved toward her slightly. She screamed and ran, not once looking back to see if it was following her.

When she reached the academy grounds she almost bowled Shakia over. He caught her and stood her up before they could fall. "What's wrong, Hinata!?" he said, looking down at her.

She panted, trying to catch her breath, as she replied, "A big dog! A big big dog!"

Shakia looked at her and looked around. "Where's Neji? Isn't he supposed to walk you to school?"

Hinata shook her head. "He's sick… I have to go here and walk home alone until he gets better," she said as she finally caught her breath.

Shakia sighed. "All right… just be careful, okay?"

She nodded.

He smiled at her and went to find his class, and she met up with Sasuke and did the same.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As school let out, Hinata slowly left the classroom. Shakia and Sasuke caught up to her before she left the block and stopped her.

"Are you gonna be okay walking home by yourself?" Shakia asked. Sasuke looked at her expectantly.

She paused for a second. She wanted to say yes, but something told her that she should walk home by herself. She smiled and shook her head no. "I'll be fine… Thank you anyway, though."

Shakia nodded and looked at Sasuke. "Common then, Sasuke," he said, turning around and beginning to walk home. Sasuke looked at Shakia, a little crestfallen, and then nodded goodbye to Hinata and followed.

She walked rather slowly down the block, and as she came to the darker blocks she was almost running. It was scarier at night than it was in the morning, and the allies seemed to go on forever. She watched them closely when they passed. Suddenly there she heard something bang up against a wall, and she gasped and jumped involuntarily, causing her to trip and fall to the ground. Terrified, she laid on the ground, as still as she could, and gazed at the ally that the noise had come from.

A shadowy figure appeared against the ally wall. Hinata trembled and was frozen in fear as the shadowy figure seemed to turn into a dog with huge ears like she had seen this morning. The shape suddenly morphed, but before Hinata could identify it a little boy stepped out of the ally, twiddling his fingers and looking at her nervously.

She looked up at him. He was very dirty, with a brown ripped shirt with the leaf symbol on it, and ripped up shorts. He had messy blonde hair, which grew out of his head in every direction, and was matted in some places from dirt and sweat. He had big blue eyes, which were filled with curious fear as he gazed at her, and he was pushing his index fingers together slowly. His nails were also very long. "…Imma sorry…" he said in a squeaky voice. His speech was slurred and hard to understand. "…you…okay…?"

Hinata slowly stood up and nodded. As she did so she realized that she was quite a bit taller than him, too. "I'm okay…"

The boy slowly smiled and took a step forward. As he did two dirty red ears seem to pop out of his head and perk up, and a huge red tail began to wag behind him. Hinata gasped and fell backwards.

The boy stopped and his ears went down and his tail drooped, making both look like they had disappeared. He went on all fours and scrawled to her side and looked at her. "…seen you…before…" he murmured, looking into her face.

Hinata looked up at him fearfully and didn't respond. She stared at him for moment, and when she realized that he wasn't going to hurt her, she calmed a little bit.

The boy saw her calm a little and smiled at her. "you come… an go… wid ta… otter… boy…?"

Hinata nodded. She knew he was talking about Neji. "He's sick… He's not here today."

The boy looked at her, not understanding fully, and looked around. His ears swiveled on his head, catching every sound they could. "You…alone…?"

Hinata nodded solemnly.

He cooed sympathetically and smiled at her. His foxtail began to wag and he hopped backward and waited for her to get up. Suddenly his stomach moaned and he grabbed it and smiled nervously.

Hinata sat up and looked at him. "Oh…" she said. "Are…are you hungry?"

The boy's fox ears perked up and he nodded quickly.

Hinata smiled at him and dug through her bag to find something she hadn't eaten from lunch. "Here…" she said, handing him a little piece of her sandwich that she hadn't finished.

He drooled and took it from her, and in a moment it was gone, before Hinata had any time to blink. He smiled and looked at her again. "…More?"

Hinata looked in her lunch box. "Well… there's this?" she held out a little bag of cheerios and he hungrily ate them up in the same manner that the sandwich hand disappeared in. She giggled and slowly scooted forward and put her hand up to pet his head.

He cringed away and backed up into the wall. "Don't... hurt…"

Hinata stopped and put her hand down. "I wont hurt you," she said soothingly, crawling closer to him. "Why are you so afraid?"

The boy looked at her sadly, and then looked at the ground. "Deeeemun," He said, almost in a growl.

Hinata blinked. "deemun?"

The boy looked at her, a little surprised. "Deemun. Bad." When she still looked confused, he put up his hands and let out a "grr." Then he put his hands down. "I…deemun."

Hinata blinked, comprehending somewhat, and smiled warmly. "You don't look like a demon to me!" she said sweetly, petting his dirty red tail. It was very soft. "My name's Hinata! What's yours?"

One of his ears twitched slightly, and his tail gently pulled out from under her hand, and then rested on it.

Hinata saw a collar around his neck and leaned in a little closer to read it. "Nar-u-to?" She said slowly as she read the name.

Naruto's ears perked up and his tail wagged slowly. He nodded. "Naruto!" he yipped his name cheerfully. "an…Hinata?"

She nodded, and suddenly looked at the sky. It was getting kind of late. "Oh dear," she said, picking up her schoolbag and walking forward a little bit. She stopped and looked at him. "I have to go home! I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto!" she said, hurrying her pace to a quick run.

Naruto's ears drooped down sadly. "Goodbai…Hinata…"

A/N- Well, I would like to get a few things strait. First of all, this is NOT a Nejihina fanfic. Though in it, Neji is not angry with the main branch family... He cares about Hinata greatly, because that is his job as a side branch member, and as a cousin. Second, I'm running short on ideas... I have the main plot in mind and most of the details, but if there is anything that any of you have in mind, please send me a review. Third, yes, there _was _a little hint on sasuhina in there... Dont think too much of it... I just thought it was cute. Sasuke can have a little crush since his family wasnt killed in this story . Fourth, in case you didnt guess, Shakia Uchiha is my OC, and he is three years older than Sasuke.

I think that's it... Hope youre enjoying


	3. You have a beautiful voice!

CHAPTER 3

Hinata walked into the house and placed down her schoolbag.

"Where have you been, Hinata?" she head a familiar voice say. She looked up to see her father gazing at her from the couch. Neji lay under a thick blanket beside him, asleep.

"I'm sorry, I'm late, father," she said as she took her shoes off.

"He sighed and looked down at Neji, and then back up at Hinata. "Hinata, listen to me… I don't want you to touch anything of Neji's… if you do you need to wash your hands immediately… okay?"

Hinata nodded. "But why?" she asked.

He sighed solemnly. "Because if you do, you could catch the same thing he had," he replied. "Neji will be going to the hospital tonight, and we're going to have all his things cleaned. Okay?"

She nodded, a little overwhelmed.

"Good. Now go to your room. Your mother and your sister are in there."

Hinata obeyed and quickly scurried into the room that her and Hanabi shared. She went to bed early that night.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next morning the house was very empty. Hinata quickly got dressed and sat at the kitchen table for breakfast. It was much quieter than usual. Her mother set down her breakfast and she quickly ate it, then got up to put her shoes on and leave, but her schoolbag was nowhere in sight. If fact, nothing but her shoes lay by the door. "Mother, where is my schoolbag?" she asked, looking around.

Her mother looked at her. "It had to be cleaned, dear… Neji has touched it recently."

Hinata narrowed her eyes, trying to comprehend. "Then… where am I going to carry my things?" she asked.

Her mother walked around the counter to the island table and pulled out a brand new schoolbag out of the cabinet. She handed it to Hinata and smiled.

Hinata took the bag and sighed. "How long before Neji-kun gets better, mother?" she asked.

""I don't know, dear… hopefully soon." Her mother murmured. Then her voice perked up a little as she said, "Well, you don't want to be late! Quick now, get off to school!"

Hinata smiled and began to leave, but then stopped and went back in, grabbed a large muffin off the counter, and then set off.

She hurried to the allies, and then slowed down and started to walk slowly when she was in. She walked silently for a little bit, cradling the muffin in her hands, and when she thought that she was somewhere close to where she had met Naruto the night before, she called his name.

"Hinata!" she heard a squeaky voice yell excitedly. She turned to see Naruto running at her like a dog. She gasped as she was bowled over by the boy, who promptly knocked her to the ground in his excitement and lay on her chest. He was so light that it was hard to believe he was human. Hinata swore that he weighed less than Hanabi.

She giggled and he hopped off her. "I brought you something, Naruto!" she said, taking the muffin off the ground, brushing some of the dirt off it, and handing it to him.

His ears perked up and he slowly took it between his hands, his tail wagging excitedly. "Tank you, Hinata!" he yipped, and then took a large bite of it.

Hinata smiled warmly. "You're welcome!" she said happily, standing up and dusting herself off. "I have to go now… I'll talk to you later!"

Naruto's ears drooped and he whimpered. "Don't want… you leave!" he wined, his tail falling to the ground.

"I'm sorry…" Hinata said, beginning to leave. "I have to go to school…"

Naruto whimpered again and rose to his feet, hugging his tail gently. He walked to her slowly, and then stopped in front of her. She blinked. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. "Friend Hinata," he said. "Tank…you."

Hinata was surprised for a moment, but then she smiled and put a hand on his head. "Friend Naruto… We are friends…" She slowly pulled away. "I realley have to go… I'll see you after school!"

Naruto smiled sadly and one of his ears twitched. He swished his tail in front of him, and began hugging it. "Goodbai…" he murmured as Hinata walked out of sight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When the day ended and Hinata raced out of the academy, she was once again stopped by the Uchiha cousins. "Hey, Hinata!" Shakia called, dragging a reluctant Sasuke by the hand behind him. "Sasuke was wondering if you wanted us to walk you home! He said he wanted to make sure you were okay!"

Sasuke blushed and glared up at Shakia silently.

Hinata smiled and blushed, but shook her head. "I'm okay, realley, I am. But thank you anyway, Sasuke-kun!" she said, giving the younger Uchiha a warm smile. He blushed and hid behind Shakia.

Shakia smiled and nodded, and then turned around and began dragging Sasuke home.

Hinata watched them go, and then turned around and hurried on her way to the allies.

When she reached the spot where she thought she had met Naruto, she stopped and called. But she heard no "Hinata!" to counter her own call, and she began to walk down the alleyway, calling his name again and again.

Still, no answer.

She began to search the allies, even going in a few. She finalley found him in the shadows of one alley, hiding behind a garbage can. He looked terrible. One of his ears was slashed and bleeding. His face had several small cuts and bruises, and he had a black eye. His arms were bruised and bleeding in a few places, and his fingers were a mess. Many of them look broken. His tail, which was wrapped around his bare feet, was covered in dried blood in many places. He was sitting on the ground, hugging his knees, his face buried under them, crying.

Hinata gasped and sat down close to him. "What happened, Naruto?" she murmured, trying to find his eyes.

He looked at her, his blue eyes wide with shock from what had happened to him. "Attack!" he sobbed. "'Demon demon! Bad bad!'"

Hinata stared at him in horror, tears rolling down her face. "People attacked you?"

Naruto's ears drooped pitifully. He looked away, and began to run his fingers through his tail, but stopped when it began to hurt. "Demon demon… bad bad…." He repeated with a whimper.

Hinata saddened even more and she leaned over and gave him a gentle hug. He looked nervous for a moment, but then calmed. "I want to help," Hinata said, pulling back slowly. She thought for a moment, and then stood up, smiling warmly at him.

He looked up at her, and then reached up with a shaky hand. "Don't leave…"

She shook her head, still smiling. "I'll be right back, okay?" she said soothingly.

He looked at her helplessly, and then slowly nodded.

Hinata went to the end of the alley and put down her schoolbag, then ran to her house as fast as she could.

She stopped at the front door and panted. When she had regained her breath somewhat, she walked into the house.

"Welcome home, Hinata," her mother said from the couch with a smile, Hanabi in her arms as usual.

Hinata smiled and walked into the kitchen. She pulled a water bottle out of the fridge, and began to wash her hand with a wet washcloth. "…Oh," she gasped. "Mother, I think I dropped my schoolbag in the alley… Can I please go get it?"

Her mother looked back at her, and after a moment she sighed. "Do you know where it is?" she asked.

Hinata shook her head. "It my take some time to find..." She said, gripping the water bottle and cloth.

Her mother paused, and then nodded reluctantly. "But if you're not back by sundown, bag or not, I'll send your father out looking for you, young lady!"

Hinata nodded and ran out the door.

As she saw her schoolbag lying in front of the alley, she quickly ran down the alley and smiled down at Naruto, who gazed up at her as if she were and angel.

Hinata crouched down in front of him rocking on her heals slightly, the water bottle in one hand, the wet cloth in the other. "I told you I'd be back, silly!" she giggled.

His tail began to wag and he flashed her a toothy grin.

She giggled again and leaned toward him. "Can I clean your scratches?" she asked, holding up the washcloth.

He blinked and his good ear twitched as he looked at the white cloth in her hand.

"I'm taking that as a yes," she said, and slowly wiped one of the scratches on his face.

As soon as the cloth touched his cheek his eyebrows rose and his ears turned to face her. He blinked twice, and then didn't move.

Hinata wiped the blood from the cut and pulled the cloth away. She gasped as red chakra- or what she thought was chakra- surrounded the cleaned wound and sealed it. She blinked and then slowly went back to cleaning his scratches. To her surprise, as soon as a cut was cleaned, the strange red chakra would surround and heal it. As she cleaned his wounds, she also cleaned his entire face. When she was done, she found that his skin was a lot lighter than she had originally thought it was, and that he had whisker marks on his cheeks, three on each side. She then moved to a different part of the cloth and cleaned the cut on his ear- though it was twitching so much that she had a hard time finishing- and then cleaned his arms delicately. When she was done, he looked almost the same, except for the incredible shiner on his eye that she could do nothing about.

"There!" she said cheerfully as she finished and put the dirty cloth down beside her.

Naruto shook his head like a dog and smiled. "Tank you, Hinata!" he said cheerfully, his tail wagging.

She smiled and picked up the water bottle. "Are you thirsty?" she asked.

Naruto's eyes widened and he nodded excitedly, his ears flopping back and forth clumsily on his head as he did so.

Hinata giggled and handed him the water bottle, then scooted next to him.

He quickly downed the whole thing in no time flat, not letting a drop escape his lips. When the bottle was empty he pulled it away from his mouth and panted.

Hinata giggled again and slowly pulled his tail into her lap. "Naruto, would you tell me a little about yourself? Where are you from?" she asked, stroking his soft tail.

Naruto's ears drooped slightly. "Well…" he said slowly, trying to find the words in his limited vocabulary, "No… parents… called fox boy an demon… you only one nice… to me… dunno more…"

Hinata murmured sympathetically, flicking some dirt and dried blood off his tail. "Well," she said, trying to think of something, "What do you like to do?"

He perked up and smiled at her. "I sing!" he yipped, the tip of his tail wagging under Hinata's fingers.

She looked at him. "You sing?" she repeated, a little surprised. "May I hear you?"

He smiled sheepishly and nodded, then stood up. He took a deep breath in and began to sing a song with no real words.

It was the most beautiful song Hinata had ever heard in her life.

Naruto ended the song. "Did you like it?" he asked, looking at Hinata happily.

She shook herself out of her daze and jumped up. "That was amazing, Naruto!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug.

He stiffened for moment, and then nodded and hugged her back awkwardly. "Hinata…like Naruto sing?" he asked, hid tail beginning to wag.

"mmm hmm," she hummed, stepping back. "Sing it again?"

Naruto smiled, beaming, and sang the song again.

Hinata listened until it ended, and then her face brightened. "You have a beautiful voice, Naruto!" she chirped, running her fingers through his messy hair gently.

His ears flattened modestly. "Don't think… Imma dat good…"

She giggled. "I've never heard a song like that!" she said. She paused and thought for a moment. "I bet… that if people heard you sing, they wouldn't hurt you anymore! Had anyone ever heard you sing besides me?"

Naruto cocked his head slightly and shook his head. "Hinata only one…"

She blinked and her face saddened a little. She was about to say something, when she looked at the sky and realized that the sun was beginning to set. She sighed. "Well… I have to go, Naruto… I'll see you tomorrow…"

He saddened, but smiled. "See you… tomorrow… sing to you… tomorrow…"

**This is where the plot comes into the story X3 **


	4. So many questions

Hinata came home humming part of Naruto's song.

"Did you find your bag, dear?" her mother asked.

She smiled and nodded, and held up the bag for her mother to see. She heard Hanabi gurgle from her mother's arms, and she quickly put the dirty cloth in the sink and and the water bottle in the trash. She skipped over to the couch and her mother gently set Hanabi in her arms.

"We have good news, Hinata," her mother said. "Neji is getting better! Soon he should be able to come home!"

"Yay!" Hinata chirped excitedly. Hanabi giggled in her arms, and she smiled down at her. She looked back at her mother. "How long?"

"Maybe... two weeks," she replied after a moment.

Hinata frowned. "That's not very soon..." She pouted, and her mother took Hanabi from her.

Hinata sighed and went to her room, humming Naruto's song once again. Her mind wrapped itself around the idea of seeing Neji again, and having him to play with when she got home. She wondered if he would look any different and what he would say, or what he was doing now.

oOOoOOoOOo

Hiashi came home a little late that night after visiting the hospital to check up on Neji. Both Hanabi and Hinata had been put to bed several hours before, and the house had grown quiet.

He walked into the kitchen and picked up an apple, then went to the sink to wash it off. As he turned on the faucet, he noticed the dirty and bloody cloth lying at the bottom of the sink. He turned off the water and set the fruit down, and then carefully picked up the cloth and examined it. "Hana," he called for his wife. She walked from the tea room into the kitchen. He turned around, the rag dangling from his fingers. "What is this?"

She took one look at it and gasped, "Oh... I have no idea..."

Hiashi raised a brow. "You didn't use it? Well, where did it come from then?"

Hana looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said slowly, "Well... Hinata lost her bag on her way home today, and I told her to go back and get it... I thought she might have had something in her hand."

He took a long look at it again. "What could she possibly have done with it to get it looking like this?" he wondered out loud.

Hana was trying to remember every detail of Hinata coming home that day. "She wasn't hurt when she came home... But she was humming a strange tune...?" she considered.

Having nothing to say, Hiashi continued to examine the cloth.

"Do you think that that has anything to do with it, honey?"

He shook his head. "I don't know," he murmured without taking his eyes off the cloth.

Hana took the cloth from him and looked it over. "What should we do?" she asked, her brown eyes hinting concern.

Hiashi's face showed little emotion and his he replied simply, "We do nothing."

Hana's eyebrows rose.

Hiashi's expression didn't change as he explained, "Hinata is not someone that would hide something that would hurt anyone, including herself. She's also not a fool. She'll tell up when she feels that the time is right. Until then, we do nothing."

Hana blinked at him, and then nodded. "Hai..."

oOOoOOoOOo

The next morning, Hinata was very late for school. She was rushed completely, and her mother almost threw her out the door. She ran all the way to school, the thought of Naruto not even crossing her mind when she ran through the allies. But when she got to school and stopped to think, she realized what she had done and felt terrible. She didn't stop humming his song all day.

She ran out of school in the same manner she had left. In record time, she was in the allies, and before she had any idea what had happened, Naruto had tackled her to the ground and was hugging her, tears pouring down his face. "Hinata! W-weren't here! Why!?" he hiccupped, his fox tail sweeping over her legs.

Hinata hugged him back gently, slowly regaining her breath. "I'm sorry, Naruto!" she gasped, "I was late this morning! I didn't have time to stop!"

He didn't look at her, but his ears were cocked in her direction, taking in everything she was saying. His crying slowly resided, and he crawled off her, stood up, and hugged his tail, still looking at the ground. Hinata noticed that his fingers were no longer broken. "Hinata... still Naruto friend?" he asked shyly, as if he thought that the answer would be no.

She smiled and nodded. "Yes... I'm sorry..."

He slowly smiled, and let go of his tail and looked at her. It wagged behind him a little. "Sing?"

Hinata giggled. "Would you?"

His smile widened and he sang the same song that he had sung yesterday. Hinata hummed along to the parts she knew as well as she could, wishing she knew the whole thing.

As he stopped he licked his lips, and she remembered something. She dug into her schoolbag, pulled out half of her sandwich, and handed it to him. "I almost forgot! You must be hungry, huh?"

He nodded blissfully, and clomped into the sandwich, but then paused. His ears pivoted on his head cautiously, and then he slowly bit into the sandwich and looked around as he chewed, his fox ears rotating on his head like furry satellites. "Watched," he whispered, just loud enough for Hinata to hear. His face went blank, and his tail went between his legs.

Hinata, puzzled at his meaning, looked around, and then activated her byakugan. She saw Naruto jump as the veins pulsed out of the sides of her face, but she had no time to react to him. She could now sense what he had heard, and was searching through the allies. In one she saw a man hiding. He was holding an empty glass bottle. She glared at him in an attempt to scare him off, but he didn't move. He looked scary, and she was getting nervous.

Naruto whimpered and dove behind her. "That man hurt Naruto all the time!" he whispered into her ear. "S-stop man!"

Hinata swallowed hard, but she forced her glare to return as she went into a defensive position.

The man stumbled out from behind the ally clumsily. "You got yourself a little girlfriend, did you, foxboy!? Well she ain't gonna be much good to you! Rummaging through my garbage again gets you a beating, you know that!" he spat, his voice raspy.

Naruto's ears went flat back. He ducked farther behind Hinata.

The man stomped forward and towered over Hinata. "Get out of the way, girly! You know that kid's a demon, don'tcha? He'll turn on you if you don't let me teach him a lesson now!"

Her heart pounding, Hinata stood he ground and stared at the man, trying to keep her glare. Her byakugan had deactivated involuntarily, and she hadn't tried to turn it back on.

The man glared at her and roared, "Get out of the way, you little brat!" He knocked her away, and she went flying off her feet with a surprised gasp and hit the brick wall with a thud and a squeal. She slid to the ground, the wind knocked out of her and her head spinning.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelped, looking at her with wide blue eyes. He turned back to the man, a look of utter shock and surprise etched into his face.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about her right now," the man hissed, raising the glass bottle into the air and getting ready to bring it down hard.

Naruto's surprise suddenly turned into a vicious glare. "You hurt friend!" he growled demonically. The marks on his cheeks thickened, and his tail went out behind him and bristled until it looked twice its original size. His ears came up and pointing toward the man like bull's horns.

The man froze, the fire in his eyes fading immediately. He took a step back and lowered the glass bottle so that it was in front of him, as if it were some means of protection.

Naruto stepped toward him threateningly, his pupils becoming slits. He snarled, and his canines were large and jagged. "Leave," he roared. His voice sounded shadowed, as if there were some monster with a deep evil voice talking with him.

The man stared at him in horror, and then turned around and ran back down the ally from which he had come screaming, "The demon! It almost attacked me! It almost attacked me!"

Hinata watched the whole thing from where she had fallen. She had again caught her breath and her vision had cleared. As the man disappeared down the ally, she turned to Naruto, her eyes wide with surprise.

He paused, still glaring at where the man had disappeared, and then suddenly squeezed his eyes shut. His tail went back to its normal size and went limp, and his whisker marks thinned. When he opened his eyes he had a somewhat dazed look about him. His pupils were round again, and he stumbled towards Hinata. "You... okay?" he asked.

Hinata nodded slowly and stood up, her back to the wall. "What... did you just do!?" she huffed shakily. She wasn't sure if she should be scared or proud, so she was focused on surprise.

Naruto gave her a blank stare and his tail swished behind him. "Huh?"

She paused. _"Maybe he can't remember?" _she thought. "Naruto, you just... you just..." Her mouth wouldn't form the words she wanted it to, and she was finding it hard to get anything out at all. "...A demon?" she blurted out, not comprehending the word until she thought about it a moment later.

Naruto's ears went back. His tail swished in front of him and he held it and frowned. It was clear that he was hurt by her words.

Seeing this, Hinata took a step forward and hugged him. "I'm sorry...I'm still your friend," she reasurred him, having nothing else to say.

His ears perked back up and he hugged her back. "Naruto scares people like man when mad. That why man call 'demon'. Glad Hinata not scared. Glad."

Hinata smiled. Something about his words made her feel like she had done something wrong, but she pushed the feeling aside. She pulled back from his hug and said, "I have to go now. Bye, Naruto." She picked up her bag and started down the ally towards home, and Naruto waved goodbye to her, a small smile on his face.

oOOoOOoOOo

"You're very late," Hinata's mother said calmly from the couch as she walked in the door, causing her to jump.

Hinata looked at the sky. It was just starting to turn a sunset orange. "I'm sorry, Mother," she murmured, wiping the sweat off her brow.

Hana looked over her shoulder at her, and her eyes filled with concern. "Hinata, you're mess! You look like you've been rolling around in the dust!"

She looked down at her flue and beige shirt and shorts. It was true, she was covered in dust. She hadn't realized that she was such a mess. "Um... I tripped," she lied, and she knew it was a bad one.

To her surprise her mother did not question her any farther. She just sighed and said, "You'll get a bath tonight. Be quiet when you go into your room. I just put Hanabi to sleep."

Hinata nodded and crept into her room. She gazed at Hanabi in her crib for a moment, and then sat on her bed and started to pull the pebbles out of her hair. As she did so, it suddenly occurred to her that maybe Naruto got hurt a lot. _"How long has he been in that ally?" _she wondered silently. _"And if he gets hurt so much, why doesn't he look hurt? His fingers all looked fine today... and when I cleaned his scratches, they healed so fast! Why?"_

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother running her bath water from across the hall. She heard Hanabi stir, and went over to her crib again and looked at her. The baby settled without waking just as she was called into the bathroom by her mother for her bath.

**-----------------------------------**

**The bricks and chunks of cinder blocks are to your left. Feel free to cave my skull in if you'd like...**

**I am SO sorry that this is so late! I have... absolutely no excuse for it at all... I'm just not a good person. To be honest, I got writer's block, conquered it, and then forgot I did, so I didn't touch the journal I was writing the story in for so long. I really do feel like crap for making people wait so long for this...**

**I will NEVER be that retarded about writing a story again!**

**The next chapter is written! I need lots of reviews and support to give me the stamina to write it, though! Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I write!**


	5. Thinking up a plan

Neji was finally healthy enough to come home, Hinata was told. And he would be coming home very soon now.

It had been almost a month since Neji had been taken to the hospital. She'd wondered when he'd come back every day, and she brought Naruto something to eat every day, too. Naruto had taught her his entire song, and now she could hum it along with him, which he loved. The fox boy was trying to learn how to talk better with Hinata's help. Hinata always carried a cloth with her to clean him up if he was attacked, and Naruto greeted her with a song and a hug.

But even with Naruto there, Hinata's mind never drifted far from Neji. She missed him in his room. She missed his loud music and his big nerdy reading glasses, which she had not seen in so long. She just missed him around in general.

Now he was finally coming home today. She had been promised that. Her and her mother stood in the doorway, Hanabi in Hana's arms. They were waiting for Neji and Hiashi to open the door and walk in so that they could surprise them.

The door finally swung open, revealing Neji and Hiashi standing just outside. Hinata and Hana yelled, "Welcome home!" while Hanabi squealed in excitement and squirmed in her mother's arms.

Neji and Hiashi stepped inside the house and Hiashi closed the door behind him. Neji opened his arms, and Hinata ran into them to embrace him. "I missed you!" she squealed, hugging him tightly.

Neji let out a surprised "oof!" and hugged her back. "I missed you, too, Hinata!" he huffed with a little laugh.

Hinata almost immediately noticed his smaller frame and his weakened strength with his hug. She pulled away, smiling ear to ear. As she looked at him, she also noticed that he was still wearing the plastic hospital band around his left wrist. She stared at it for a moment, but before she could let her curiosity embed itself in her head, she asked, "Will you be going to school tomorrow?"

Neji glanced over his shoulder at his uncle, who gave a barely noticeable nod. Neji turned back to face Hinata and smiled. "Yup!" he said triumphantly.

Hanabi let out an excited scream at his voice and squirmed excitedly, and Hana set her on the ground. The baby pushed herself to her ands and knees and crawled clumsily to Neji's feet. Neji crouched down to her and tried to make her sit up, but she fell backwards. He held her hands so that she stayed up and said, "Did you miss me?"

Hanabi laughed and tightened her grip on Neji's fingers. Hana walked over and picked her up, and Neji's fingers slipped from her chubby hands.

Neji stood up and turned around. "Can I cut this band off, Uncle?" he asked, holding up his wrist to show the bracelet.

Hiashi nodded. "Don't hurt yourself with the scissors though," he warned, though he did not sound too concerned about such a thing happening.

Neji nodded and ran into the kitchen. After looking through a few drawers, he found the scissors and cut the hospital band off. He caught the band as it fell and put the scissors back in the drawer.

Hinata ran up to him and glanced at the bracelet curiously. "What's it say?" she asked, seeing all the words on the plastic.

Neji stared at the words for a moment, and then brought it close to his face. "Well…" he said slowly, "This says 'Neji Hyuuga', and this says Konoha… hospital…That's all I can read."

Hinata continued to stare at it. "There are a lot of big words on it," she said.

Neji nodded and placed the bracelet on the kitchen counter, and then he turned to Hinata and hugged her. "I missed this place," he said pitifully, pulling away. "The hospital is no fun! I had needles in me, and I couldn't eat or do anything half the time!"

Hinata's eyes widened. "Wow! That sounds horrible!"

Neji nodded quickly and started to walk toward his room. "Come on! I'll tell you all about it if you want!"

She nodded excitedly and bounded after him, curious about what he had to say about his time in the hospital.

OOOoOOoOOo

When Hinata skipped into the kitchen the next morning, Neji was already there, and he had mostly finished his breakfast. Hers was there next to his. She sat down and started to eat. When he finished she looked at her plate. She had half of her eggs, half a piece of toast, and a strip of bacon left. She finished her eggs and then grabbed the toast and bacon for Naruto, shoving it in her pocket. Then she quickly got ready, because she knew that Neji was patiently waiting for her.

"You ready, Hinata?" he asked her when she came to his side. She nodded and he opened the door and walked out.

To Neji's surprise, Hinata was keeping them at a faster pace than he was used to. He let her walk ahead of him and watched her curiously. Before they came to the start of the dark allies, he stopped. "Hinata?"

She stopped and looked back at him quizzically.

Neji paused for a long moment. "…Never mind," he said at last.

Hinata looked at him, and then shrugged and continued to walk.

It wasn't long before they came to the allies. When they got there, Neji got in the front of Hinata. Hinata let him without a second thought. She skipped along behind him, thinking about how Naruto would like Neji.

Before long Hinata saw Naruto's usual hiding place. Right on time, his squeaky voice sounded like it usually did. "Hinata!" he cheered, and a moment later the little fox boy appeared, running on all fours with his large fluffy tail streaming behind him like a dirty banner.

Hinata smiled and took a step forward to greet him, only to be pushed back again by Neji. "Stay away!" his hissed at Naruto, stepping in front of her.

"B-Bu…" was all that Hinata could stammer out. She looked around his arm just in time to see Naruto skid to a halt. His eyes got wide with confusion as he looked at Neji, and then his gaze turned to her.

Before she could do anything, Neji grabbed her hand and started running toward the school. She knew that there was no way that she could escape his grasp, so she was forced to run behind him as best she could.

"What was that?" the Hyuuga boy huffed as they came to the end of the ally. "It looked like a monster… Are you okay, Hinata?"

They were now on school grounds. Hinata glared at him and whipped her hand out of his. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was so angry that no sound came out. Instead the Uchiha boys interrupted her as they made their way over. "Hey, Neji! You're back!" said Shakia.

Neji turned toward the voice as the two came over. "Shakia! You'll never guess what we saw this morning!" he exclaimed.

Shakia's eyes got wide with interest. "What?"

"It was a monster!" the Hyuuga almost yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

Hinata, now even more enraged, turned around and stomped off. She went over to the cement at the edge of the front schoolyard and sat down. She put her head in her hands and pouted.

She had seen Sasuke watching her, and she was not surprised when she saw him come over. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

Hinata looked at him, her face still creased into a pouty frown. She rested her head in her hands again. "Nothing…" she sighed.

Sasuke blinked. "Please tell me."

She paused, and then looked at him again. "I'm mad at Neji!"

He looked surprised. "Why?"

She paused, and then leaned closer to him, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Can you keep a secret?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Well… I kinda have this friend who I talk to on my way to school and on my way home. His name is Naruto."

"Really?" He sounded interested now, and his voice was also a whisper. "How come we've never met him?"

"Mmm…" Hinata mumbled, searching for the words in her head. "He's kinda shy… but that's not what I'm mad about."

"Oh," Sasuke mumbled slowly. "Well, what are you mad about?"

"That's what I'm about to tell you! When me and Neji went by where he usually is, he came out to greet me like he always does! But Neji thought he was a monster and wouldn't let me talk to him! He didn't even give me a chance to explain!"

Now the Uchiha looked confused. "Your friend lives in the ally?"

Hinata looked at the ground and kicked at some pebbles. "Well… yeah… He doesn't have any parents."

His eyes got wide. "No parents? He's an orphan?"

What word had never come into her mind, but now that it had been brought up, it was appropriate. "Um… Yup…"

"What does he look like?"

Hinata thought for a moment. "Well, he has blond hair and whisker marks on his cheeks. And he has blue eyes and he wears a brown shirt and tan shorts."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose. "He sounds cool."

"I'm not done!" she said quickly. Sasuke went silent, and she continued, "He has red ears and a big fluffy tail."

He gave her a doubtful look, but, seeing that she was serious, he did not argue with her. "Well… What are you gonna do?" he asked.

She said nothing, deep in thought. "I dunno," she finally sighed, shaking her head. "If Neji doesn't let me stop to see him, then he'll think I'm not his friend anymore."

He frowned. "Why don't you just tell Neji that he's your friend?" he asked.

Hinata looked thoughtful. "Well… do you think he would believe me?"

"Why wouldn't he?" replied the Uchiha, shrugging hopefully, and clearly proud of his idea.

The young Hyuuga slowly smiled. "Thanks, Sasuke. You always know what to say."

He smiled and opened his mouth to say something more, but the bell rang, signaling for everyone to go inside.

So the two quickly gathered their things and started in. And as they did, Hinata started to think of a plan.

--

**Okay, it's not that I was lying when I said that this chapter was typed, it's just that, well, there was this rhino, and-**

**-shot-**

**Okay. I admit it. I'm just a lazy forgetful ass. If your life revolves around this story, I apologize for your very slow, wobbly orbit. I am working on the next chapter. Keep giving me ideas. This plot could go in seven different directions, and I don't think it's going in the one that I originally thought it would... **


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